Wheatley School Wins Regional High School Science Bowl at Brookhaven Lab
February 1, 2018
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In an exciting finish, Wheatley School took the top award at Brookhaven National Laboratory's/Long Island Regional High School Science Bowl. Members of the winning team (left to right): Vedant Singh, Victor Li, John Li, Karen Li, and Elan Mizhiritsky.
UPTON, NY - Old Westbury‘s Wheatley School took first place in the Long Island Regional High School Science Bowl held at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory on Saturday, Jan. 27. Wheatley competed against 19 other teams from across Long Island in one of the nation's regional competitions of the 27th Annual DOE National Science Bowl® (NSB). As the winning team, they will be awarded an all-expenses-paid trip to the National Finals in Washington, D.C., scheduled for Apr. 26-30.
A series of 113 regional middle school and high school tournaments are being held across the country from January through March. Teams from diverse backgrounds are each made up of four students, one alternate, and a teacher who serves as an advisor and coach. These teams face off in a fast-paced question-and-answer format where they are tested on a range of science disciplines including biology, chemistry, Earth science, physics, energy, and math.
“The National Science Bowl® continues to be one of the premier academic competitions across the country and prepares America’s students for future successes in some of the world’s fastest growing fields in science, technology, and engineering,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry. “I am proud to oversee a Department that provides such a unique and empowering opportunity for our nation’s students, and I am honored to congratulate Wheatley School in advancing to the National Finals, where they will continue to showcase their talents as the top minds in math and science.”
In 2017, Great Neck South took the top spot in Long Island’s regional competition, but in an exciting finish this year, Wheatley edged out Great Neck South for first place. Island Trees High School in Levittown placed third, and South Side High School in Rockville Centre placed fourth.
Karen Li, a sophomore from Wheatley School, said, “This was a team effort and we’re really proud to bring the trophy home to our school and go to Washington D.C. to compete in the finals.” In addition to classmates Elan Mizhiritsky and Vedant Singh, Li’s teammates included her two brothers — John and Victor. “My brother John is graduating this year, so winning was very special for all of us,” she said.
Adrian Chen of Great Neck South High School has participated in the Science Bowl for four years. “I’m glad my school continues the legacy of success at this competition. We practiced for months and although we didn’t get the top spot this year we’re still proud of our accomplishments. We all congratulate Wheatley School on its win.”
The top 16 high school teams and the top 16 middle school teams in the National Finals will win $1,000 for their schools’ science departments. Prizes for the top two high school teams for the 2018 NSB will be announced at a later date.
In the competition at Brookhaven Lab, participating students received a Science Bowl t-shirt and winning teams also received trophies, medals, and cash awards. Prizes were courtesy of Brookhaven Lab's event sponsor, Brookhaven Science Associates, the company that manages and operates the Lab for DOE.
More about the Science Bowl
Approximately 275,000 students have participated in the NSB since it was established in 1991, and it is one of the nation's largest science competitions.
DOE’s Office of Science manages the NSB and sponsors the NSB finals competition. More information about these events is available on the National Science Bowl® website.
Brookhaven National Laboratory is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit science.energy.gov.
Follow @BrookhavenLab on Twitter or find us on Facebook.
2018-12711 | INT/EXT | Newsroom
